Blank Space
by thatwriterkidtoday
Summary: It was a chance meeting of two doctors but can they make it work when the vacation is over? When they're thousands of miles apart? Arizona/Maura
1. Chapter 1

"Do you really have to go," Callie asked. Callie Torres was my best friend and a world class orthopedic surgeon but right now she was whining like a three year old. I zipped up my suitcase and looked at her sitting on my bed, shaking my head at her antics.

"Yes, I really have to go," I confirmed, heading towards the door. "Need I remind you that you're the one that volunteered to stay behind?"

"No, but-"

"Robbins, Lil' Robbins, you ready," Mark called, dropping his suitcase in the hallway next to mine.

"Coming Uncle Mark," Connor said as he walked out of his room, his suitcase rolling behind him. My blued eyed little five year old boy probably had more action figures and comic books in there than clothes. "I'm ready."

"Did you get your Red Sox jersey for the game," I asked. I was a die hard Red Sox fan and in the three years since adopting my son he had become one as well.

"I've got everything, Mamma. Are Uncle Derek and Aunt Mer going to meet us at the airport?"

"Yes, and you will listen to everything your aunt says while your uncles and I are at the conference."

It was probably a bad idea to bring an five year old with you to a conference for work but I couldn't leave him on the other side of the country. Connor came to the hospital when he was two and dying of brain cancer. Derek Shepherd was his primary physician and by the time he had saved him, I was in love. When getting ready for this trip I figured it would actually probably be safer if was with us because the four adults on the trip were the ones who knew his medical care best. Besides, Meredith was just going to watch Zola the whole time anyways and Connor loved that little girl.

Luckily, the kids slept through the flight and were well rested and alert by the time we made it to the hotel. Zola was only three so Derek and Meredith were taking her to the circus but Mark and I were taking my son to a Red Sox game. Mark had East coast connections and the seats he managed to score us were to die for.

"This is so cool," Connor exclaimed as we went to find our seats. We planned our arrival so that we could get there before batting practice and thus most of the seats were empty. Mark sat on the end so that he could go get food and I sat Connor to my left in between us. "How did you get these?"

"I've got skills," Mark joked, ruffling my son's hair. "I'm gonna go get some food, what do you want?"

"I want a hot dog. Oh, and a pretzel. Can I have a coke?"

"You can have one," I stressed the one, only allowing him to have small amounts of sugar. If he were a normal kid I'd spoil him to death but large amounts of sugar weren't good for him considering how fragile his system is. "I want the same, Mark."

"What, no beer," he laughed.

"Someone has to drive your drunken ass back to the hotel."

"Good point, so, three hot dogs, three pretzels, two cokes, and a beer for me. Is that it?"

"Sounds about right. Do you need money?"

"No, it's on me."

It wasn't long after he left that the field was being prepped for batting practice and the seats around us started to fill up.

"You almost made us late for batting practice," said a raspy feminine voice. I turned to my right to find a group of people coming our way. The speaker was a tall, lanky woman with long brown hair, brown eyes, and olive skin.

"I'm sorry but I had to change my shoes," a voice like bells exclaimed. I looked around the other woman to find the most gorgeous person I had ever seen in my life. She was probably shorter than me by a few inches with long golden hair, fair skin, and riveting hazel eyes. She was dressed in a beautiful cobalt dress that stopped just above her knees, sleek black heels, and an elbow length black jacket. Her frame was slight and she slipped past the taller woman, to stand in front of the seat next to me. "Will it make it better if I take the outside seat?"

"Much."

"Are you a cop," Connor leaned forward as he caught sight of the badge on the brunette's hip when she sat down.

"Connor," I warned as he sat himself in my lap and inspected the stranger.

"Detective Jane Rizzoli, Boston Police Department," the brunette, Jane, smiled, offering Connor her hand. He took it and shook it with vigor, smiling as she handed him her badge to inspect. "What's your name?"

"Connor, I wanna be a cop one day."

"Really, why is that?"

"I wanna save people's lives like my family but I don't wanna be a doctor. I think being a cop is better."

"I'll remember that tonight when I have to give you a shot," I said playfully, nudging my face into his cheek. He handed the detective back her badge and I offered her my hand, awkwardly reaching over the gorgeous stranger seated in between us. "Dr. Arizona Robbins, I'm sorry about my son he's just very curious."

"It's okay," Jane shrugged, pointing to the woman next to her with her thumb. "Maura here is a doctor too."

"Oh great," Connor gave an exaggerated sigh and slipped from my lap. My jaw dropped at his forwardness when he plopped himself in the detectives lap and turned to her with a smile. "She's gonna get all nerdy, wanna talk baseball?"

"Of course."

I smiled as they got into an intense discussion about their favorite players and turned to the aforementioned doctor with a smile.

"A doctor, huh," I grinned, not knowing what to do but trying desperately to impress the woman next to me.

"I have manners, I swear," the woman implored, shaking my hand. Her touch sent electricity up my arm and by the way she dropped my hand I could tell she felt it too. "Dr. Maura Isles."

"Arizona, it's nice to meet you. What do you practice?"

"I'm the Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. You?"

"I, I'm the Head of Pediatric Surgery at Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in Seattle, Washington."

"You are a long way from home. Are you here for the conference?"

"Yes, and because my son has always wanted to see a Red Sox game."

"What's his diagnosis," Maura asked, taking my hand. I looked at her, and she smiled reassuringly and squeezed my hand. "I can tell by the way you act. You're fully invested in our conversation but your eyes keep watching him to make sure he's okay."

"He has brain cancer," I whispered, looking at Connor laughing with Jane as they pointed out players on the field. "He was two when he was first diagnosed; he's five now."

"Three years, that's a long time."

"I'm friends with one of the country's top neurosurgeons and he has been amazing in treating Connor. Do you know Derek Shepherd?"

"I've heard of him, people say he's amazing."

"He's a great guy. We're actually here with him. He and his wife decided to take their daughter to the circus tonight while my best friend and I brought Connor to the game."

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear," Mark smiled, handing me two cardboard trays of food. "Maura?"

"Mark Sloan," Maura exclaimed, letting go of my hand.

"Do you know every woman in the country, Sloan," I spat.

"Only the really gay ones," Mark replied cheekily. "It's nice to see you, Dr. Isles. I see you've met my friend Arizona?"

"How long are you going to be making gay jokes?"

"I believe that was directed at me," Maura said in a sheepish voice. I turned to her, shock taking over my features. "He pursued me at a conference in New York and could not understand why I wouldn't go out with him until I told him I was gay."

"You didn't have to lie to me," Mark smiled.

"I didn't lie, I am gay."

"That's why Robbins here wouldn't sleep with me too, no matter how hard I tried."

"I wouldn't sleep with you even if I wasn't gay, Mark," I smiled at him. Connor came over and sat in my lap, taking his food tray and digging in. I ruffled his hair lovingly but I could tell he was losing energy and the game hadn't even started yet. "I apologize for him, I really do."

"It's okay," Maura smiled.

"You never said why you were here. You don't seem like the baseball type."

"I've only recently taken a liking to the sport but Jane loves it so I got her the tickets."

"Is Jane your…"

"No! Jane's my best friend and I love her very much but I'm single and she's straight."

"In that case…," Mark started.

"Shut it, Mark," I cut him off. When he was done with his dinner Connor settled into me and we watched the game, conversation flowing between the four adults. By the seventh inning Connor was exhausted and, as much as I hated to miss part of the game, I decided to take him home. "I'm really sorry that we can't stick around but Connor needs his rest."

"We understand," Jane assured, smiling at a drowsy little boy in my arms. As we were standing up to go I felt a hand on my arm, stopping me. Maura was standing, offering me a gentle smile as she stepped closer.

"What are you doing for lunch tomorrow," Maura asked. "I figured since you didn't know Boston and convention food is highly unhealthy that we could get lunch."

"That'd be great," I smiled. "Are you going to the conference?"

"I'm actually one of the speakers. I will meet you in the lobby of the hotel?"

"Sounds good."


	2. Chapter 2

"Remind me again why you just made us sit through a lecture on forensic pathology," Derek asked as we slowly made our way out of the lecture hall.

"Because the doctor that was speaking asked Arizona on a date," Mark laughed, nudging me. I swatted his arm and glared, shutting him up.

"Arizona," Maura called, coming up to us. She offered her hand to Derek and smiled at him, easing the tension. "Dr. Maura Isles, and you are?"

"Dr. Derek Shepherd, it's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Isles," Derek shook her hand.

"You're the neurosurgeon that Arizona was talking about?"

"Talking about me again, Robbins?"

"We were talking about Connor's care," I justified my actions as I stepped closer to Maura.

"Ready to go," Maura asked me, motioning towards the exit. "There's a great little place down the street, if you're hungry."

"Of course I am, lead the way."

"You both are welcome to come with us, if you'd like?"

"Thanks, but Derek and I are going to go for some guy bonding," Mark said, sending Derek a look that said 'don't you dare interfere on their date' when he looked like he was about to reply.

"Well, have fun."

Maura led me out of the hotel that was hosting the convention and down the block to a cute little retro diner. We sat across from each other in a booth as we looked over our menus.

"Can I get you ladies something to drink," the waitress asked.

"I'll have a cup of coffee," I stated.

"I want a glass of water," Maura said, dismissing the waitress to get our drinks. "So, are you enjoying the conference?"

"I am, I enjoyed your lecture this morning."

"You went?"

"Yeah, the guys and I sat in on it. They weren't exactly happy about it…"

"Pathology isn't for everyone."

"Yeah well, they're surgeons and all surgeons think their departments are more important than everyone else's."

"Are any of you speaking?"

"Derek is speaking today and Mark and I are both speaking next week. Also, one of my really good friends is flying in tonight from California to speak."

"I've seen Mark speak, he's rather good."

"So are Derek and my friend Addison, they're all very charismatic."

"And you?"

"I… get nervous. You, on the other hand are an excellent speaker."

"Thank you, Arizona. I could help you work on your speaking skills, if you want?"

"I'd love that."

"Here are your drinks," the waitress said, placing the cups down. "Are you ready to order?"

"I'll have a chicken Caesar salad with lemon on the side," Maura answered.

"Bacon double cheese burger with curly fries," I smiled at the horrified look on Maura's face.

"I'll get that to the kitchen," the waitress said, leaving us.

"Do you have any idea how much grease and fat is in that cheese burger," Maura gasped.

"Yes, I do," I smiled at her. "I have a very sick five year old boy and spend my days running around the hospital, I need all of the calories that I can get."

"I'm sorry, I hardly know you and I'm ridiculing your diet."

"It's okay, next time I'll order a salad."

"How long on you in town for?"

"Two weeks, why?"

"I'd love to have all of you over for dinner one night. It's very rare that I get to socialize with other medical professionals."

"Sure, that sounds awesome. Tonight Derek and Meredith are going on a date so Mark, Addison, and I are going to watch Connor and their daughter Zola. We're going to the park, you could come?"

"A second date?"

"Ah ha! So, this is a date!"

"Of course."

"You never said… and I didn't want to assume…"

"I like you, Arizona," Maura said quietly, taking my hand. "I'm not good at interacting with people so I'm sorry if I wasn't clear…"

"I haven't dated in years so it was probably painfully obvious and I just missed it. I like you too, by the way."

"Next time, you can plan the date that way it's more obvious."

"In that case, tonight doesn't count as a date. Bring Jane and we can just hang out. Jane really seems to like Connor."

"He's a very sweet boy."

"He is, but he's fiercely protective when he or someone else feels threatened. He's my little warrior with a heart of gold."


	3. Chapter 3

Addison had flown in that afternoon and by the evening we were all sitting on a blanket in the park. Meredith had let Connor sleep most of the day so he was excited and energetic. We were sitting around on this spread of blanket eating a dinner of pizza and sodas. Mark and Addie were feeding Zola and Connor was sitting with Jane eating so I sat next to Maura, taking her hand.

"This is great," Maura smiled, "even if the food is horrible for you."

"Don't lie, you loved the food," I laughed.

"After years of being friends with Jane I'm accustomed to such things."

"Mama," Connor called, now standing with everyone else a few yards away on the foot path. "Aunt Addison and Uncle Mark are taking Zola to play, can me and Jane go too?"

"Jane and I," Maura corrected.

"I'll watch him," Jane assured me.

"If he starts to get tired, dizzy, or nauseous bring him back here immediately," I informed her as a huge smile took over my son's face. "If he gives you any trouble let me know."

"Come on, Jane," Connor said, excitedly pulling Jane down the path after the others.

"She's really good with him," I observed, scooting closer to Maura now that we were alone.

"She asked me why you were so protective of him," Maura sighed, laying her head on my shoulder. "I hope you didn't mind that I told her about his condition. She said it made everything make sense. I think working with kids at work helps her with him."

"He likes you both. I think he likes being around people that aren't doctors."

"Do you not know anyone who isn't a doctor?"

"Not really, I either spend all of my time at the hospital, with Connor, or at the hospital with Connor. All of my friends are doctors and Connor doesn't really interact with normal kids because he's too sick to go to school."

"You're incredibly strong, handling his illness so well."

"He's adopted, you know?"

"Really? I thought…"

"The blues eyes, and dimples threw you off, didn't they?"

"Yes, I just assumed he was biologically yours. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, it's a common misconception."

"When did you adopt him?"

"Three years ago, when he was diagnosed with cancer. The social worker brought him in and he was in my ward. He was there maybe a month when I filed for adoption. I had fallen in love with him and he with me. I think we were always meant to be together. People think I'm crazy because I knowingly took on a sick child but he's everything to me."

"That's amazing, Arizona."

"Amazing? I don't think so."

"You have such compassion, it's captivating."

"This is pretty heavy stuff, tell me something surprising about yourself."

"I own a motorcycle."

"You're kidding?"

"No, I can take you for a ride some time, if you'd like."

"You just don't seem like the type to ride a motorcycle."

"Tell me something about you."

"At the hospital I wears these shoes with wheels in them so that I can wheel around. The kids love them."

"That sounds horribly dangerous."

"Says the woman that rides a motorcycle. Don't judge the wheelie shoes."

There were kids a few yards away popping fireworks. They started off with little ones but a large bang went off and I jumped, flattening my body against the ground. I buried my face in the blanket and let out a strangled sob, images from the shooting flashing in my mind. I was vaguely aware of Maura lying down next to me and rubbing my back soothingly but it was several minutes before my heart rate started to settle.

"Arizona," Maura whispered softly. She was laying on her side beside me and I turned into her, burying my face in her neck. "You're okay, Arizona. You're okay."

"I'm sorry," I mumbled after a minute, sitting up. Maura sat next to me and wrapped an arm around my waste, pulling me into her side. I laid my head on her shoulder and sighed, trying to release the tension from my body. "Last year I was rounding on patients when the hospital went on lockdown. I didn't know why and I didn't really care at the time, I just gathered all of the kids, including Connor, and put them in one room so that we could safely watch them all. Everything was fine until a little girl who had just been rushed in needed an immediate appendectomy. My best friend Callie was on the floor with me and we took her to another room and were preparing to do emergency surgery when a man came down the halls with a gun. We had sent a nurse to retrieve supplies and he killed her right in front of us. She was the only one to die on our floor. He came to the door and Callie gave him medical supplies for a wound he had and he left. He would have killed every single one of us if she hadn't done what he wanted. He shot dozens of people that day and I just…"

"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, most commonly associated with veterans, is a very understandable thing to be dealing with in this situation."

I looked up at her and giggled a little at the strangeness of her statement.

"I'm sorry," Maura chuckled. "I'm not very good at interacting with people so sometimes I say the wrong things."

"It's endearing," I smiled at her, snuggling my face into her neck. The scent of fresh roses filled my nose and calmed the remainder of my nerves. "People usually don't like to get close to me when I'm like that so thank you for not being scared away."

"You can't help it, it's not your fault."

"I guess if anything was going to scare you off it's the son with cancer, that usually does it for women."

"I could never not pursue you because you have Connor, he's a sweet boy."

"Maura…" I whispered, tilting my head up and bringing my lips to hers in a gentle, loving kiss.

"Ewww," Jane said, causing me to sit up. Maura's face blushed a deep red as we looked up to find the rest of our group looking at us. Connor came forward and plopped down in my lap, snuggling his face into my chest.

"Mommy, I'm tired," Connor said weakly. My arms went around him and held him to me while Maura leaned in to rub his back soothingly. Tears welled up in my eyes at seeing my son looking so fragile and small and Maura wrapped her arm around my waste with her free hand to bring both of us closer.

"He started swaying and feeling light headed when he was chasing Zola around," Mark said. "Zola was getting tired too so I went ahead and brought them back. I figured I'd go ahead and take the girls back to the hotel. I'll stop on my way and get some sugary snacks and energy drinks since it seems like it's going to be one of those nights."

"Thank you, Mark," I sighed, watching him and Addison take Zola towards the car. Connor had fallen asleep in my arms so I was very careful standing up. Maura started cleaning things up but Jane just looked at me.

"What did he mean," Jane asked.

"Connor's condition takes a toll on him. He got plenty of sleep so he shouldn't be this tired. He's taken a turn for the worst and will need constant supervision tonight. If he doesn't show signs of getting better in the morning we'll take him to the hospital."

"He- is there anything we can do to help?"

"It's going to be a long night for all of us, you can pray if that's your kind of thing."

"You can stay with me," Maura offered, placing her hand on my arm. She had packed everything into the backpack I brought it in and was smiling at me warmly. "I'm sure he can't be comfortable in a small hotel room. I live in a rather larger house and have quite a few spare rooms, it'd be no inconvenience. I'm close to Mass. Gen. so if you need to take him in the morning we can. I know a few people there and it's an excellent hospital."

"Besides, if you guys stay with her I can stay over and that's two extra people to watch him," Jane pointed out.

"Is it okay if I bring Derek," I asked Maura. "He's Connor's primary physician and he's already done his part for the convention so he'll be the most willing."

"Of course," Maura said soothingly.

"I'll take him," Jane said, sliding Connor from my arms into his. She took him to my car, setting him down gently in the backseat as not to wake him, and then went to Maura's and climbed in, starting the engine. To my surprise Maura got in the drivers seat of my car and held her hand out for my keys. I took the hint and handed them to her before sliding in the back and taking my baby in my arms. With a quick text to Derek we were off.


	4. Chapter 4

Derek was upstairs checking Connor's vitals for the twelfth time that night as I sat on the couch in Maura's living room. She came from the kitchen with three cups of coffee, handing one to Jane and one to myself while keeping her own. With the coffee dispersed she settled in next to me and I snuggled up next to her, allowing her to warm me. I lifted the blanket across my lap with my free hand and placed it over her lap as well, allowing us to get even closer.

"He's the same," Derek said, coming down the stairs. "Who's turn is it?"

"Mine," Jane said, getting up from a plush chair. Derek took her place and looked at us worriedly.

"He's getting worse," I observed sadly. Maura took my hand under the blanket and squeezed, trying to offer some reassurance.

"I didn't know how much you wanted me to say in front of them," Derek replied, motioning to Maura.

"It'd probably be best for Jane not to hear it for now but Maura's a doctor, she'll understand."

"Of course, I just… you keep his illness very private outside of the hospital."

"It's fine, Derek."

"I'm worried about him. If he shows no signs of improving in the morning I'll take him to the hospital for treatment."

"How worse is he getting?"

"It's hard to say because it looked like he had been doing so much better."

"It could be a last relapse before his body rids itself of the cancer," Maura said quietly. I turned to her, shock all over my face. "I've seen it before in cancer patients."

"I've read that but I've never seen a case myself. That may have something to do, of course, with the fact that I remove brain tumors."

"So, we're playing a waiting game again," I asked, laying my head on Maura's shoulder. "He's so tired, I'm afraid he'll give up."

With my biggest fear out there on the table I broke down crying. Derek left the room and I buried my head in Maura's shoulder. She tentatively wrapped her arms around me as my silent tears soaked her shirt. I realized that I was crying on a woman that was basically a stranger but at that moment I didn't care.

I woke up the next morning curled up in Maura's arms and for just a moment I forgot my troubles. Then reality set in and I shot up, looking around for my son. Jane was in the kitchen making breakfast so I followed the wafting smell of bacon to find my answers.

"Where's Derek," I asked, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"He's getting Connor ready to take him to the hospital," Jane shrugged, plating the last of the pancakes. "He was going to wake you in a few minutes but he really wanted to let you sleep as long as you could. He said that you would need it to get through today. Would you wake Maura?"

"Sure," I nodded, returning to the living room. I leant down and shook Maura's shoulder lightly, a smile over taking my features when she rolled over, her eyelids fluttering open. She smiled at me and my heart melted, ensuring that I really was losing my mind.

"I slept in my clothes," she mumbled, sitting up.

"Yes, you did, sleeping beauty. Come on, breakfast is ready."

"Connor?"

"We're taking him to the hospital after breakfast."

"I'm so sorry, Arizona."

"Don't be, it's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault, it's just how life is."

"I am sorry none the less."

I shrugged, feeling suddenly very awkward, but she just smiled and went to the kitchen. Jane had set out three plates with massive amounts of food, one plate with food Connor could eat, and an omelet. I could guess who the omelet was for. We are breakfast quickly, Connor barely keeping his eyes open much less eating, and were on our way.

I insisted that Jane go to work keeping the people of Boston safe but nothing I could say would persuade Maura to leave our side. In the end I stopped trying because Maura was the only one of us that still had hope and Connor and I needed that. Maura stayed by me through the entire process of getting him checked in and waiting with me while he went down for scans. She held my hand through everything and I had only known her for a few days.

"Arizona, do you want to go for some coffee," Maura asked while we were waiting for Connor to get his scans. She took my hand and I led her down stairs to the coffee cart. She ordered mine black and her a latte and handed me mine with a breath taking smile.

"I think it's amazing how coffee carts are the same in hospitals, even on opposite sides of the country," I commented, leaning against a glass window and looking at Maura. She leaned on her side beside me, looking at me with a curious expression. "What?"

"How did you know where the coffee cart was?" Maura asked with a smirk.

"I've been here before. I graduated from Johns Hopkins and actually considered doing my residency here."

"Where did you end up doing it?"

"I went back to Johns Hopkins. My girlfriend at the time, Joanne, lived in Baltimore so to me it was a no brainer what to do. I left for Seattle after residency."

"Do you like Seattle?"

"It's where I found my son, where I found a home in my coworkers; how could I not love it? I'd leave Seattle if I didn't think I'd miss it so much. What about you, do you like living in Boston?"

"In truth, I would leave in an instant if I didn't have Jane. She's my best friend, I couldn't leave her."

"That's how I feel about the guys at Seattle Grace Mercy West, I could never leave them behind. I didn't really think about it until now that you live on the other side of the country. I really like you I just-"

I never got to finish because Maura swallowed my words in a breathless kiss, giving me all of the fire and passion she had been feeling. I smiled, wrapping my arms around her waste and bringing her to me. When the kiss ended she laid her head on my shoulder, leaning into me.

"Please, don't think about it right now. You're here now, that's what matters."

"We should go find Connor, he doesn't like being alone with people he doesn't know."

"He's incredibly brave."

"He's an amazing kid."

We found Connor in a room, asleep, and we settled in, allowing quiet and easy conversation to flow in between them as they passed the time. The young boy slept most of the day and it wasn't until he was about to wake up that the doctor came in. She was young, Arizona's age, with light brown hair and hazel eyes. Her face registered in Arizona's mind and she realized she knew this woman.

"Carey," Arizona exclaimed, throwing her arms around the woman. They embraced each other before pulling back and smiling, oblivious to the tension radiating off of the third woman in the room. "What are you doing here? When did you move to Boston?"

"I've been here a couple of years. What about you? What are you doing in Boston?" Carey asked.

"I'm here for the medical conference and my son…"

"You should see his scans. Seattle Grace Mercy West faxed me his last scans and when I compared them to ours I was blown away. At first I thought we had stumbled upon cancer but now I know that it's quite the opposite. He's actually getting better. His tumors are shrinking."

I couldn't even think properly, I was so happy. I simply cried. I turned around, buried my face in Maura's shoulder, and cried. It was like a rainbow after an especially brutal storm. I cried for several minutes before I hear my son stirring and, upon looking up, found the three of us alone.

I spent the night telling my son about all of the things that we were going to do when he was cancer free and holding Maura's hand.


End file.
